Meant to be Soul Mates by Fate
by Devoted hallmark fan
Summary: Jack Thornton and Elizabeth Thatcher grew up childhood friends. One moves away then they find each other again years later and fall in love. This is a more modern story of their relationship.
1. prologue

**Prologue: Jack Thornton and Elizabeth Thatcher the Childhood years**

Elizabeth Thatcher and Jack Thornton first met as children when they were 8 years old. They became fast friends when his family first moved to the town of Hamilton in North Carolina where her family owned the towns shipping company. His dad had taken a job on one of the many ships the company owned. It was when the school year was starting that Jack and Elizabeth met on the first day of third grade as they has been assigned the same teacher a Mrs. Baxter. As the school year progressed Jack had trouble with school assignments so Elizabeth who was good at it offered to study with him every day to help him improve. One day when they were studying after school at the town's library Jack said to Elizabeth;

"Thank you for helping me for the past few months with homework Elizabeth, you are such a great friend" Jack says

"No problem Jack, I am always willing to help a friend who needs it" Elizabeth replies

After each study session Jacks grades in school started to improve slowly. Jack and Elizabeth then made the study sessions a tradition for the remaining school year and for the next four years after that as they continued to end up in the same class year, after year.

It was one day during their eighth grade year that Jack found out his dad was let go from his job and had gotten another Job in another country and that they would have to move. The next day Jack went to school and he told Elizabeth what was going on after she had noticed something was making him feel down all through the school day. It was when they were walking home after school that Jack said;

"Elizabeth, last night I found out that my family will be moving at the end of the school year to another country" Jack says

"I am sorry Jack. I will miss you so much, but you will try to keep in touch with me won't you" Elizabeth responds

"of course. I will try Elizabeth, we are friends after all" Jack responds

After Jack tells Elizabeth his news they spend the rest of the school year hanging out and spending as much time with each other as possible before he moves away. As the school year comes to an end, the day before Jack leaves to move with his family Jack and Elizabeth have one last conversation as friends and they make this promise to each other ;

"I hope in a few years your dream of going to teacher college will come true Elizabeth" Jack says

"and I hope you make your dream of becoming a police officer comes true as well" Elizabeth responds and " thank you Jack. I hope so to" Elizabeth continues, " I love helping other understand assignments" she continues

They spend the rest of the day just talking and enjoying the time they have before Jack leaves forever with his family to their new home in Canada. He was sad to be leaving, but he had no choice but to go as he was still underage and living at home. Jack made a vow to himself that he would follow his dream, and if it was meant to be he would reunite with Elizabeth on day he hoped.


	2. Ch1 Ten Years later part 1

**Chapter 1: Ten Years Later Part 1 of 2**

 _Elizabeth's Goal_

After graduating high school Elizabeth went off to college to get her teaching degree. For as long as she could remember she had always wanted to teach children and to help them succeed at school. She was graduating tomorrow and had started to look for teaching jobs away from her parents and to be independent and to support herself. A few months after graduating, she was offered a teaching Job at an Elementary School as a second grade teacher in Valley Springs, California. She was so excited to go out west and to build a life for herself and to fulfill her calling as a teacher. Elizabeth was planned on leaving in a few days for California to find an apartment and to get settled before the school year started next month as she got ready to start her first teaching job at Hope Valley Elementary. Elizabeth was excited and she could not wait to start her first job. As soon as she got to California she checked into a hotel and got right to work searching for apartments to rent and within her budget. She was quickly able to find an apartment and move in pretty quickly and they included all the furniture as well. A few days after she had arrived in California her father William called to check in on her to see how she was doing as he asked;

"so Elizabeth, how are you settling in California, I hope it is well" William asked his daughter

"just fine father, I am excited for this adventure in my life and starting my teaching Job in just a few weeks" Elizabeth replies

"that is great Elizabeth, I am so proud of you. I know you will do great" William responds

After Elizabeth finishes her phone conversation with her father she starts to plan how she will decorate her first classroom. Next week she will finally see the school she will be teaching at and the room that would be hers as well as meeting some of the other teachers and to get to know the school before the year starts. In her heart she knew she would be a great teacher as her friends have told her over the years growing up when she would help them study if they had trouble with assignments for class, so she knew she was capable of teaching second graders. As she was planning her first day her mind went to her friend Jack who she had kept in touch with until the past four years when they had lost touch and she wondered if he had fulfilled his dream of becoming an officer of the law just as she had in becoming a teacher just like they had promised they would years ago, but she decided to date other in the meantime with no commitment, so she went on with her life.

 _Jack_

Jacks family had moved around a lot growing up, but it was not until after college that he was able to live on his own and support himself. It was the first time he was able to stay in one place for a long time. After high school Jack decided to go to college then police school to be an officer and moved back to the states. After he got through the program he decided to move to California so he applied as officer at the local station in town of Valley Springs. He had been working there for the past year and he loved the job, and able to stay in one place. He had dated over the years. But his mind always went back to his childhood friend Elizabeth who he had stayed in touch with after his family moved away from Hamilton, North Carolina. He had written to her until the last four years when they had lost touch. He kept wondering if he would ever see her again, if it was gods, plan for him to see her again. He decided to fill his time with other things and to avoid dating for a while as he could never find a girl he liked enough. Over the years he wondered if she had fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher like he had fulfilled his dream of becoming an officer as they had promised each other years ago they would try to do. So he continued on with his day to day routine until one day…


	3. Ch 2 Ten years later part 2

**Chapter 2: Ten Years Later Part 2**

 _ **Crossing Paths and Reuniting**_

Elizabeth walked into a café owned by a women named Abigail Stanton who she had made friends with when she first found the cafe about a month ago when she first moved to town. Jack also ate at the same café once in a while or stopped for a takeout coffee.

On this particular day as Elizabeth was arriving Jack was leaving and right as they both arrived at the door at the exact same moment Jack said;

"Elizabeth Thatcher, is that you. I would recognize you almost anywhere. I can't believe it is you, it has been so long since we last saw each other" Jack says

"Yes it is, Jack Thornton is that you. I can't believe it, it has been so long. So glad we have ran into each other, we certainly need to get together to catch up" Elizabeth responds, "how about tomorrow morning over breakfast" she continues

"tomorrow morning will be perfect, how does 8 am work for you" Jack replies

"8 am is perfect, see you tomorrow" Elizabeth replies as they go in opposite directions to get on with their days

As Elizabeth is looking over the menu she is thinking _wow, I can't believe I just ran into my friend Jack again after all these years. I wonder what he has been up to, I will have to remember to ask him tomorrow when we meet for breakfast_ Elizabeth says to herself as she gets ready to order a late breakfast. When Abigail gets to Elizabeth's table the first thing she says to Elizabeth is;

"I noticed you seemed to know Jack as you came in and stopped to talk to him Elizabeth" Abigail inquires

"I do we knew each other as kids from third through eighth grade before his family moved away from Hamilton, North Carolina. It was great to see him after all these years later" Elizabeth replies, "we plan on catching up tomorrow over breakfast" she continues

"that is great Elizabeth" Abigail responds

After Abigail finishes with her questions she gets down to business and asks Elizabeth for her order then walks away to fill it and to tend to other customers.

Meanwhile across town Jack is at his desk at the police Station looking over some paperwork on a case he has been working on. As he is doing it he is thinking to himself _wow, I can't believe I ran into Elizabeth after all these years, I wonder what she is doing in town. I will have to ask her tomorrow when we meet for breakfast when we catch up_ Jack says to himself. Jack goes on his with day at work before calling it to a stop for the night.

The next morning comes pretty quickly. Jack could not wait to see Elizabeth again and to catch up over breakfast at Abigail's Cafe. At the same time at her own apartment Elizabeth was also getting ready to meet Jack for breakfast, she could not wait to see him again and to catch up. When Elizabeth had run into Jack yesterday she felt something she had never felt before and that was an instant connection of some sort, but she did not know if he felt the same way. After spending ten years apart, she first wanted to reform the friendship they had as kids growing up before bringing up the subject of dating to him since they were now adults and older.

An hour later at exactly 8 am both Jack and Elizabeth arrived at Abigail's café at the exact same moment coming from opposite ends of the street the café was located on. As soon as they got to the entrance Jack opened the door and let Elizabeth in first then followed. They choose a table by the widow to sit down at as they looked over the menu as they waited for Abigail to take their orders. Five minutes later Abigail approaches their table to take their order. Thy both decide to order what they usually get which is a bagel with cream cheese and fresh fruit for Elizabeth and eggs and Bacon for Jack and they both order coffee. As soon as Abigail leaves Elizabeth and Jack start catching up on each other's life since they last wrote and saw each other ten years ago. Elizabeth starts the conversation off by saying;

"so Jack what have you been up to since your family moved away from Hamilton" Elizabeth asks

"well we moved to Canada where I attended high school. After I graduated I moved back on my own to the states for college and went to police academy and for the past year have been working at the local police station here in Valley Springs. What about you what have you been up to Elizabeth" Jack responds

" well, I went to high school and after graduating I went to teacher college and just graduated and I will be starting my first teaching job at Hope Valley Elementary as a 2nd grade teacher in two weeks here in Valley Springs" Elizabeth responds

'that is so great Elizabeth, it looks like we both have accomplished our dreams and goals just like we promised each other we would all those years ago" Jack replies

"yeah, I guess we did" Elizabeth responds

As they continue talking Abigail arrives with their meals and they stop just long enough to thank Abigail before continuing catching up with one another. Pretty soon they both have to go do other things for the day, but before they do they decide to meet each other for breakfast everyday as they continue to catch up on their friendship. Elizabeth hopes it will turn into something more. Jack on the other hand is considering making it more but he is not sure if he should or what Elizabeth wants, he just has to wait for the right moment to mention it as some point, he feels something he has never felt before towards Elizabeth when they ran into each other the other day, he felt an instant connection of some sort, but not sure how to bring it up to her so he plans a special day just so he can tell Elizabeth how he feels as soon as he thinks she is ready for more than just being friends since they have just reconnected after ten years.


	4. ch3:Friends turned couple- school starts

**Chapter 3: Friends becoming a couple- School starts**

For the past few weeks Jack and Elizabeth had been meeting almost every morning for breakfast as they continued to catch up and get to know each other as friends again. They both knew as some point they were going to want something more, but were unsure on how to bring up the topic. Elizabeth was enjoying their breakfast get together, but one day she told Jack that they would have to change this as she was starting her first teaching job on Monday and would not have time during the week to meet for breakfast so she said to Jack;

"Monday, I start teaching so I won't be able to do breakfast anymore at least during the weekday, but we can do diner or coffee dates in late afternoon instead" Elizabeth says

"That is no problem, we can certainly make that change" Jack replies; "so are you excited to start your first teaching job Elizabeth" he continues

"yes, I am I can't wait, I finished setting up my room last week" Elizabeth replies; "I just hope the kids like me" she goes on

"I am sure they will you are a great person to like" Jack responds

Jack and Elizabeth then continue their conversation about their families before going their separate ways for the day.

 _ **Elizabeth's First Day Teaching**_

The day of Elizabeth's first day as a teacher was finally here. She was so excited to finally meet her first class of second grade students in just a few short hours. As soon as she got to her new classroom she placed the welcome to my class gifts on each of the desks before the kids showed up. Pretty soon one my one in smalls groups the children arrived to Elizabeth's class room. A total of 20 students came as she was given on the class list she was handed at teachers work week 2 weeks ago. As soon as the students had found their seats with their names Elizabeth addressed the class and introduced herself to the students by saying;

"welcome class, I am your teacher this year. My name is Ms. Thatcher and I am new here just like you all are, so it may take me some time to learn all your names. We will have a great school year and it will be fun" Elizabeth says" now we will go around the class and I want you to introduce yourself in front of the whole class" she goes on

After they do that Elizabeth goes on to discuss what she expects of her students and the rules of the class before handing out a short test to get a sense of the skill level the students are at in each subject they will be learning throughout the school year. As the day goes by Elizabeth continues to give basic introductory first day of class information as expected by the school. Pretty soon Elizabeth's first day is over and the kids are starting to like her, she can tell. She is also starting to love being a teacher as well.

 _ **Two Months Later**_

It had been two months since Elizabeth had started her teaching job. She was loving it a lot and getting the hang of it pretty quickly. She and Jack also had been hanging out almost everyday after school as friends and continuing to catch up with each other. One day Jack had shown up at Elizabeth's classroom to surprise her before they went out for their afternoon tea time. He showed up with roses and said to her as he gave them to her;

Elizabeth ever since we were kids I had a crush on you and over the past few months since we have reconnected with each other I started getting this feeling that I want to be more than friends with you and I want you in my life as my girlfriend, so would you consider this an act of courtship" Jack says

"Oh Jack, I would love to. I have had the same feeling as well and have been wondering when you would ask me" Elizabeth replies

"Really Elizabeth" Jack asks; "I feel so much better knowing we are on the same page now" Jack responds

"Yes Really Jack" Elizabeth replies

Now that they have agreed on status of their relationship Jack and Elizabeth talk about what to do now and figure out the best time to officially go on their first date. They decide to choose a day for next week which will be the second week of October as they are now officially a couple which makes them both happy.


	5. ch 4 Jack and Elizabeths first date

**Chapter 4: Jack and Elizabeth's first date**

October

It was finally the second week of October and Jack had almost finalized his plan for his first official date with Elizabeth later in the week. He was so excited he could barely contain his excitement that Elizabeth and himself who he had become friends with back during their fourth grade year in Elementary School and who was finally his girlfriend. He had asked Abigail for her help and had reserved her cafe for just the two of them for the romantic, peaceful date he had planned. After he left the café he met Elizabeth at her school where she taught and they went for a walk in Golden Gate Park which was close by. They talked about their upcoming date and were just enjoying each other's company. At the end of their afternoon walk Jack told Elizabeth he would pick her up at her apartment at six-thirty on Friday evening for their first official date.

 _ **A few days later**_

The day of Jack and Elizabeth's first official date as girlfriend and boyfriend had finally arrived. Elizabeth could barely contain her excitement as she taught her class of second graders. The whole week Elizabeth had trouble selecting the dress she wanted to wear on her date with Jack, but with the help of Abigail she had finally settled on a dress last night which now was hanging on her closet door at home to be put on after she got home from school so she could get ready. She had chosen a pale blue dress along with a beaded shawl to put on top in case it got chilly out later on.

As she was getting ready for her date with Jack, she heard a knock on her door and the only person who ever knocked was Jack so she said;

"will be right there in a minute" as she went to the door to see Jack on the other side

"Hi, Jack your early, I am not completely ready, I will just be a few more minutes" Elizabeth says

"No worries take your time Elizabeth. I am in no rush for us to get going" Jack replies

As she leaves the room to go finish getting ready Elizabeth mutters to herself; "I really should give Jack a key to my apartment that way he won't have to knock all the time. He is practically here a lot already as it is" as she puts on the finishing touches to her hair and make-up for her date with Jack.

A few minutes later she walks back out to her living room to where Jack is waiting for her. As soon as Elizabeth reaches Jack she says;

"Jack I am ready now let's get going" she says

"Great, I hope you like what I have planned for tonight" Jack replies

"do you mind telling me what that plan is Jack" Elizabeth responds

"Sure, but not all. I want it to be a surprise, so first I thought we could go out to a nice dinner, then to the park for the evening" Jack responds

"you know I hate surprises, but your plan sounds nice Jack" Elizabeth replies

"you will love this surprise I promise Elizabeth" Jack responds

"Oh, okay if you say so" Elizabeth responds

Pretty soon they are in the car on their way to dinner. Before they get there Jack tells Elizabeth to close her eyes until he tells her to open them. Once he parks the car outside the restaurant he guides Elizabeth inside to where Abigail had set up a romantic table in the corner for them with a lace table cloth, some lighted candles, some rose petals scatter around the plates and some roses in a vase that Jack had dropped by earlier. As soon as they reach the table Jack says to Elizabeth:

"okay, Elizabeth you may open your eyes now" Jack says

As soon as Elizabeth opens her eyes and sees what is in front of her she is speechless for about two minutes before saying;

"oh, Jack this is just beautiful, how in the world did you plan this all" she asks

"well, I did have help from Abigail" Jack replies

As Jack and Elizabeth enjoy their romantic dinner they talk about all kinds of topics like how Elizabeth is enjoying her first teaching job and more. After their dinner Jack drives them to Golden Gate Park where a Horse drawn carriage is waiting for them. As soon as Elizabeth sees the carriage she lets Jack know how much she loves the surprise as they get into the carriage for a sunset ride around the park as the sun goes down low in the sky, then into a ride beneath the moonlight. After their ride Jack drives Elizabeth home and they share a long passionate kiss. Elizabeth then says;

"this has been a great night. I will never forget it. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us at Christmas as our first Christmas together as boyfriend and Girlfriend" she implies

"you know I will have something special planned. You can count on it" Jack replies

After he sees Elizabeth safely inside, he drives home and plans the next few months out and tries to determine if and when he should surprise Elizabeth with a proposal since he knows now that he can't live without her by his side.


	6. Ch5 Thanksgiving Break part 1 of 2

**Chapter 5: Thanksgiving Break part 1of 2**

The rest of the month of October went by pretty quickly and before they both knew it. Jack and Elizabeth were excited to get to spend the next week together for Thanksgiving break since Elizabeth did not have to work. The week before Elizabeth had told Jack that her parents were coming from Hamilton, North Carolina to Valley Springs, California to spend Thanksgiving with her. Once Jack learned this he knew he would have to find a way during dinner to pull Mr. Thatcher away to ask him a very important question without making Elizabeth suspicious about what he was up to. He had prepared a speech just for this occasion a few weeks earlier after he had realized he could not live without Elizabeth by his side.

On the first day of her Holiday break Jack and Elizabeth spend the day planning out the Thanksgiving meal that Elizabeth will be hosting at her apartment for her, Jack, Abigail, and her parents. They then go out for a nice dinner at a French themed cafe about two block walk from Elizabeth's apartment. Since Elizabeth had other things to do that needed more attention to before her parents arrived in town for Thanksgiving in just a few days and she had no time to cook every night. After dinner Jack walks Elizabeth home and kisses her goodnight.

The next day Elizabeth with the help of Jack in the morning before he has to go to work helps to make up the guest room in Elizabeth's apartment for her parents who will be arriving tomorrow afternoon at the airport in San Diego which is a two hour drive away from Valley Springs. California. After they do that Jack leaves to go to work and Elizabeth goes to the Grocery Store to purchase all the items necessary for the Thanksgiving meal she will be making the day after tomorrow. Later that evening Jack and Elizabeth discuss what they will be doing tomorrow. As they are talking Elizabeth says to Jack;

"I can't wait for you to meet my parents and this time more formally. I know you met them when we were study partners as kids, but that was ten years ago, but now that we are boyfriend and girlfriend, I am hoping you will be yourself and they will learn to love you just like I do" Elizabeth says

"I can't wait to be formally introduced to your parents this time also as your boyfriend. I know your father never liked me back when we went to school together, but I intend to change his mind about that and hope he learns to like me also" Jack responds

"I hope you do also. I don't know how they could not learn to like you. I hope they see that we belong with each other and that we love each other as well. I can't imagine not having you in my life" Elizabeth replies

As they continue talking over dinner at Abigail's Cafe all they can talk about is the Thanksgiving Day plans and other outings they will take since Jack has the next few days off for the Holidays. They then go their separate ways for the rest of the night after kissing good night.

 _Elizabeth's Parents Arrive_

The day that Elizabeth's parents would be arriving in Valley Springs, California from Hamilton, North Carolina had finally come. Elizabeth wanted everything to be just perfect in her apartment before she left for the two hour drive to the airport in San Diego to pick them up and she would be taking Jack along with her for the company and to spend alone time to prepare him for officially meeting her parents as her boyfriend as well. As Elizabeth drove she was giving Jack some tips on how to talk to her parents and give advice on how to make them like him and more. Pretty soon they arrived at the airport and Elizabeth parked her car and they went into the pickup area near baggage claim to wait for her parents whose flight was due in the next five minutes.

Pretty soon the plane had arrived and it took Elizabeth's parents a few minutes to make their way to the baggage claim area. As soon as Elizabeth saw her parents she waved them over to where she and Jack were standing. When they were within ear shot of them Elizabeth said to her parents;

"Welcome to California Mom and Dad… glad you could come for Thanksgiving" Elizabeth says

"Yes welcome Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher" Jack says to Elizabeth parents

"You remember Jack Thornton from when we were kids and I would help him study growing up" Elizabeth replies

"Yes we do. How are you Jack. Nice to see you again" Grace Thatcher replies

"You too, I am doing well" Jack responds

"so how did you two run into each other again after your family moved Jack" William Thatcher inquired

"we just happen to be enjoying a meal each at a café a few months ago and about a month after Elizabeth moved to town" Jack replies

"Yes and we got to know each other again, reconnect and have been dating for the past two months" Elizabeth replies

"really, that is nice" Grace Thatcher responds, "I always knew Elizabeth would find someone nice to be with, "Mrs. Thatcher goes on

The Thatcher's, Jack, and Elizabeth continue to talk as they walk to Elizabeth's car for the 2 hour drive home to Valley Springs California and to continue having a great Thanksgiving vacation while getting to know the Thatcher's better in Jacks case and to convince them he is perfect for Elizabeth.


End file.
